Scripture Memory:
James 1:2-4 (ESV)
² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Action Step:
Thank God this week each time you encounter a trial and CHOOSE JOY rather than complain.

Random Thoughts:

• This was a busy week coming back from vacation and I have to be honest, an extremely emotionally draining week.  It is all good!  God is sovereign and in control.  I can’t wait to see what He is up to in the midst of everything going on.
• Yesterday was a good day at Church at the Grove.  It was a powerfully moving service!  We were expected to be  down in our attendance and I hate that so many people missed God’s working. 
• I loved the worship set and the job Austin and the band did yesterday.  I especially loved Gabe giving the background history on the song “It is Well”.  I am so thankful for Gabe’s leadership. 
• We celebrated my mom’s birthday and the 4th of July on Saturday at my brother’s home.  Great fun with the family. 
• Thankful for the rain!
• I had a great time meeting with our band on Friday at my house!  I am so thankful for those guys and the way they have rallied following Ric’s stepping down. 
• I hate going through transitions like this but I am thankful for Ric taking the initiative and volunteering to step down during a tough time in his life.  We are supporting he and Alli with our prayers and thoughts.  They will have a new baby soon. 
• God is doing some incredible things in the life of Church at the Grove and when He is working we will always face opposition and distractions.  We must stay focused on what God has called us to do.
• I love the book of James and I am so excited about “Show and Tell”.  I can’t wait until this next Sunday!
• Keep praying, keep starting discussions and anticipate God’s working in your life.  See you Sunday!

Random Thoughts:

• I was on vacation last week for most of the week.  I had a wonderful anniversary trip with Jill. 
• I was supposed to be on vacation through Sunday, but the vacation did not end well over the weekend.  I woke up Sunday AM around 4 and spent way too much time in my bathroom over the next several hours.  It was a 24 hour stomach virus and it lasted a complete 24 hours.  I am better now.
• Have you ever thrown up so much that you literally were waiting to see your gut, stomach and intestines to simply come up with everything else making its way out?  It was awful.  Just thought I would share.
• I received great reports and feedback about our Sunday gathering!  I had already viewed the message on “God is Love” and have heard some great feedback regarding the message.
• I heard that Austin and the band did an awesome job! 
• I can’t wait to be back preaching this Sunday!  I have had some great study time.
• I am looking forward to our Baptism in the Park on Sunday July 12!  Yes!  If you are interested in being baptized, please let me know.
• I am so excited about God has in store for Church at the Grove!  We have some exciting things in the works! 
• I need everyone to stay focused, faithful and connected as much as possible throughout this summer.  Let’s be prepared when the fall hits!
• This is July 4th weekend coming up.  Be safe and I hope to see you this Sunday! 

• I love her unashamed passion for Jesus Christ!
• I love her unwavering commitment to God’s Word and living it out in her life.
• I love the way she serves and loves me unconditionally.
• I love the way she mothers and invests into the lives of our children.
• I love the way she laughs. (Loud)
• I love her commitment to the local church, the body of Christ.
• I love her passion for building relationships with people in need of a relationship with Jesus.
• I love her hospitable spirit toward the people with whom she crosses paths.
• I love the way she sings.
• I love her legs.  (I have to be honest)
• I love her passion for educating our children.
• I love how she overlooks my shortcomings and hardheadedness.
• I love her beautiful smile and perfect teeth.  (That happened to be in braces when we dated.)
• I love to go to bed and breakfast inns with her.  That is where we are now! June 24, 2009.

Key Scripture:
Psalms 62:11-12 (NIV)
¹¹ One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong,
¹² and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.

Random Thoughts:

• It was great to be back at Church at the Grove this Sunday.  I learned a lot the week before at Church at the Ridge but I miss Church at the Grove. 
• Steven Furtick’s message on God’s Goodness and his Greatness was awesome!  I have had a lot of great feedback on this past Sunday.
• What a great crowd for Father’s day!  It has been our lowest attended week each of the past 2 years, and although it was down from normal, it was a great crowd for Father’s Day.
• I was so blessed to have Walt, Mercy, Bliss and Thomas with us on Sunday to share what God is doing in their family and how God is leading them in mission work.  I love Walt’s family.  It was great having Marjorie and Philip with us. 
• What a great Father’s Day.
• I hope you are all keeping up with your Acts of Kindness for 40 Days! 
• Today (June 24) Jill and I have been married for 14 years.  I am so thankful for her!  God could not have blessed me more with a wonderful wife. 
• We leave today for a getaway anniversary trip.  That is why this is a short reflection. 
• I will see you all soon.  Have a great week and don’t miss this Sunday’s final week of OnePrayer.

• It has proven the most effective leadership style.
• It has the danger of becoming leader centered.
• It has the danger of becoming hyper visionary.  Count the cost.

Luke 14:28-32 (NIV)
²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?
²⁹ For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
³⁰ saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
³¹ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.

• The leader can become autocratic.
• The leader must listen or skilled incompetence will emerge.  Avoid the CEO disease. 

Proverbs 18:13 (NIV)
¹³ He who answers before listening– that is his folly and his shame.
 

1 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)
⁷ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

*He gave gifts to men:

Ephesians 3:7 (NIV)
⁷ I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.

*You are not superior to others.  You are simply leading through the gifts given to you by God.

*Pride is the root of all sinful leadership issues.  If you think you are above succumbing to leadership woes and sinful steps, you are in a position of pride.

Proverbs 16:18 (NIV)
¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
 

Notes from Andy Stanley’s OnePrayer message:

• The Bible is a book written and offered in the midst of extraordinary uncertainty.
• In the midst of uncertainty God is certain!
• If there is ever a time to read the Bible it is now!  In times of uncertainty we should run to the Bible!!
• Look at a list of major characters in the stories of the Bible;  They are dealt with circumstances of uncertainty. 
• Can you trust God?  Can you maintain faith in God?
• Can we/Will we maintain faith in Him when we cannot see His hand?

Random Thoughts:

• I always HATE missing a Sunday at Church at the Grove!
• I took my family and drove out to Paulding County and worship with my friend Steve Whipple at Church at the Ridge.  I love Steve and his family.  Their church is several months older than Church at the Grove but very similar in philosophy, vision and style.  They are also in the OnePrayer series this month.  Steve and Church at the Ridge are doing some awesome work in South Paulding County. 
• I loved being at Church at the Ridge, but I always miss Church at the Grove!
• I try to get away to visit other churches a couple of times during the year to learn and stay sharp/focused on the vision that God has called us to here!
• I had a great week completeing several “Acts of Kindness” and I am looking forward to continuing the challenge this week.
• I encourage all of you to continue in your “Acts of Kindness”, and enter your reports at resurrectinghope.com.  Share your ministry with others.  It offers encouragement and it challenges others at the same time. 
• One thing God challenged me with regarding this week’s “OnePrayer” message from Andy Stanley is:  A pastor’s role is to foster trust in God. 
• My role is to bridge the gap from where people currently are to where God wants them to be.
• I pray that we can use this summer to sow into our community!  Don’t relax from what God has called us to do!
• I had a blast hanging out with our new friends Todd and Shannon and their kids Friday night and with Amy and Craig.  I am so thankful that God has led them to Church at the Grove.
• I took the day off Monday and spent some time just relaxing and with the family.  We had a great dinner with my brother and sister-in-law and my mom.  It was a great way to celebrate the birthday!
• I am reading through the gospel of John.  I read the same chapter daily each day for a week.  I am also studying James for our upcoming series in July.  God is challenging me in a big way.
• We are getting a bit behind in our offerings for the months of June.  Our church has been so AWESOME through this point in the year and we can’t afford to get behind this summer.  Help us avoid the summer slump!  Use our on-line giving, our self-addressed envelopes or automated bank drafts when you are out of town. 
• I am loving hanging out with the students at “United” on Wednesday nights!  It is great ministry and a lot of fun.  If you have a teenager, make sure they don’t miss this at Loganville High School on Wednesday nights. It starts at 6:30pm. 

Last Thursday a home burned to the ground close to my subdivision and Hunter and I wished there was something we could do to help the people, but we had never met the family so we did not want to intrude.  So Sunday when you spoke about the Acts of Kindness my mind immediately went to that family.  On Monday I wrote a little note just telling them how sorry we were for their loss and left my name and number for them to contact b/c I had a few items I thought they might be able to use in getting back on their feet. 
 
Tuesday night I received a call from the son of the elderly woman who lived in the house expressing thanks for the letter.  I told him I would gather some items for her and am working with some other neighbors to get a good amount of items to them early next week.
 
I did not expect to be affected greatly by the acts of kindness I did for others through the next 40 days.  I felt that those were the things we SHOULD already be doing as Christians; seeing people as Jesus sees them and trying to act accordingly.  However this challenge as Russ called it did help me step out of my comfort area and help total strangers on a more intimate level. I have been blessed by helping others!
 
 If anyone wishes to help and show kindness to this family they can email me at kirstenwarr @ att.net or call me at 770-714-8421.  The woman who lost everything needs clothes size 16, kitchen items, bedding, canned and boxed food, furniture, esc…If you have any items you were planning on selling in a garage sale or give away please think of sharing them with this woman.  Thanks So Much!!!

Brian Peart is involved in the leadership of a Christian Mortgage Brokers Group and leads people all across the country in Bible Study each month via conference call technology. 

Check it out: 

http://seminoles.audioacrobat.com/download/ee26d5a3-0b89-0148-3569-6273cb8f96d2.mp3     

You can download it or play it. 

I found out this weekend that a fellow church-planter resigned and stepped down from his leadership role because of moral failure.  You can read it on his blog here. 

I am saddened, mad and hurt to hear about a fellow leader that has succumbed to sin and forfeited his leadership mantle.  I know that leaders have big bull’s-eye on their backs and I know that I need people praying for me in order to keep my life secure from falling into sin that could disqualify me from my leadership role in the church.  Please pray!

Check out this Open letter to Pastors!  It is a must read for all of us and especially for those that feel they are above failure!